Like A Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name Review – Back From The Dead

Initially intended for release as DLC, Like A Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name attempts to bridge the gap between the events of 2016’s Yakuza 6: The Song of Life and the upcoming Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth. Once more, putting players in the shiny shoes of Kazuma Kiryu, this spinoff doesn’t quite capture all of the twists and turns fans have come to expect from the series with its truncated 12-hour story. However, despite its brevity and a familiar setting that’s starting to feel too small for its good, Like A Dragon: Gaiden still manages to captivate thanks to its excellent writing and a handful of exciting new features, making it an essential offering for anyone who intends to dive into Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth when it launches next year. 

The Name’s Joryu, Agent Joryu

When we last saw Kiryu at the end of Yakuza 6, he made a deal with the shadowy Daidoji faction to fake his death to protect his surrogate daughter Haruka and grandson Haruto from his adversaries. In exchange for his new life and keeping his secret safe, he now works in service of the group under the codename Joryu, performing various secret agent-style missions.

Like A Dragon Gaiden‘s story begins with Joryu’s Daidoji handler, Kihei Hanawa, assigning him to facilitate the CIA-brokered transport of a ship full of gold bullion to a group of Asian terrorists. While this seems like a straightforward security gig, things quickly go south. When the ship containing the gold arrives at the docks, a gang of Yakuza show up and brutally murders several of Joryu’s fellow agents before kidnapping Hanawa and speeding away in a van.

More than a simple rescue mission, Joryu’s task becomes even more perilous as mysterious forces conspire to resurrect the Dragon of Dojima for their own purposes.

Old Dog, New Tricks

As it turns out, being a secret agent has its benefits. Joryu’s Daidoji training allows him to use various high-tech gadgets he can employ to get the upper hand against his opponents when using the new Agent fighting style. At first, your only gadget is the Spider, which allows you to shoot webs of energy from your wristwatch to ensnare enemies, who you can then spin and hurl into the environment like toys. However, it doesn’t take long to amass a handful of other handy tools, such as explosive cigarettes you can lob into groups of foes, drones that you can summon to pepper enemies from a distance, and even rocket-powered shoes that have you gliding across the arena like a mech straight out of Armored Core VI: Fires of Liberation.

Needless to say, the Agent style is a blast to use with its emphasis on rapid light attacks and wreaking hi-tech terror. But if you prefer to deliver beatdowns the old-fashioned way, Kiryu’s trademark Yakuza fighting style is still available, focusing on raw power and pummeling your opponents with everything in the environment that isn’t bolted down.

Even though I’ve grown to enjoy the turn-based combat found in Yakuza: Like A Dragon more than the straight-up beat-’em-up action the series was built upon, beating the stuffing out of gangs of goons in Like a Dragon Gaiden is still a lot of fun. And while I wouldn’t go so far as to call Joryu’s Agent style a game-changer, it does a solid job of keeping the action fresh and flashy with the over-the-top gadgets it puts at players’ fingertips.

Hitting The Town

Like A Dragon: Gaiden‘s story takes place primarily in Sotenbori. It’s a familiar locale that we’ve seen many times throughout the series’ history, and it’s never felt smaller than it does now, thanks to a general lack of compelling things to do.

For starters, the Substories – an essential part of previous Yakuza games – are now relegated to just a couple dozen missions you get from the Akame Network, a request service run by Sotenbori’s local fixer. And while there are a few memorable missions in the bunch, such as a request that has you investigating a supposedly haunted house for a struggling streamer, most of these requests are forgettable and feel like padding. Far outnumbering the requests are smaller tasks that dot your map, which generally have you delivering a food or drink item to a specific person on the map or fighting against gangs of bullies antagonizing the townsfolk, which net you cash and Akame Points. These points can then be spent at the Akame Shop to acquire rare goods or unlock new skills.

My biggest complaint about Like A Dragon Gaiden is how much of the game is tied to the Akame Network and its mindless tasks. The story has numerous points that you can only progress once you increase the Network’s rank to a specific level. Given how mundane most of these missions are, these roadblocks were a nuisance and only served to hurt the game’s pacing, and I say this as someone who generally really enjoys the side content in Yakuza games.

That’s not to say Sotenbori is the only place you’ll spend your time in Like A Dragon Gaiden. A floating city called The Castle is a key part of the game’s story. However, this glitzy locale is quite small and only really houses a handful of casinos to gamble at, an immersive hostess club, and the colosseum, where you can amass teams of fighters for Hell Team Rumbles for big money.

Killing Time In Sotenbori

When not burning through shoe leather completing requests for the Akame Network, Sotenbori’s various businesses offer plenty of ways to kill some time. You can blow off some steam at the driving range, race and upgrade your collection of slot cars, and sing your heart out at the karaoke bar to a variety of songs. Additionally, the ever-addicting darts mini-game returns, and you can chat it up with a collection of lovely live-action ladies at the city’s numerous hostess clubs if you’re feeling a little frisky.

Of course, as Hey Poor Player’s resident arcade rat, my go-to destination has always been the Club Sega game centers. And they’re a real treat in Like A Dragon: Gaiden thanks to the addition of Sega Racing Classic 2 (also known as Daytona USA 2), which, before now, has never seen a home release. Featuring pixel-perfect emulation, this long-lost classic is a joy to experience that almost justifies Like A Dragon Gaiden‘s $40 price tag on its own.

As good as Sega Racing Classic 2 is, there are plenty of other fan-favorite Sega coin-ops to enjoy, such as Fighting Vipers 2 (another absolute gem of a game), Sonic The Fighters, Motor Raid, and Virtua Fighter 2.1. Throw in the ever-addicting UFO Catcher mini-game and pool, and you’ll have plenty of activities to keep you busy between gripping story beats.

What’s In A Name?

While Like A Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name undoubtedly suffers due to its smaller scale and a heavy reliance on the Akame Network to pad out its 12-hour story, there’s no denying how good it feels to see the Dragon of Dojima back in action – especially with the grab bag of gadgets he has at his disposal. And while this spin-off’s story is over a bit too soon, Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio’s penchant for spinning a compelling narrative shines through, showing Kiryu at his most vulnerable and setting the stage for what’s sure to be a momentous follow-up when Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth launches next January.

Final Verdict: 3.5/5

Available on: PS5 (Reviewed), PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PC; Publisher: Sega; Developer: Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio; Players: 1; Released: November 9, 2023; ESRB: M for Mature; MSRP: $39.99

Full disclosure: A review copy was provided by the publisher.